ITP Academic Harmonisation

Vision

This Wiki has been set up to enable greater collaboration in moving toward an agreed set of academic regulations for the ITP sector.

For about 15 years from the early 1990s the Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) in New Zealand operated in an environment that emphasized institutional autonomy and encouraged competitive behaviour. During this period each ITP developed its own systems and culture, as well as developing many local programmes and qualifications.

Notwithstanding this environment, the sector has always retained an element of cooperation, both in respect of individual programmes and in sharing expertise in other contexts. The Tertiary Accord of New Zealand (TANZ) is one example of an initiative to collaborate that was established by a group of institutions during the time when the motivation to compete was at its strongest.

The tertiary reforms initiated in 2005 signalled a change in direction at a government policy level. As the implementation of these reforms has proceeded there has been a stronger expectation of collaboration between ITPs in programme development, rationalisation of delivery to contribute to the national network of provision, and the operation of the institutes. TANZ was well placed to respond to these shifts, as they aligned with the philosophy of the accord, and could build on the structures that had been put in place.

As TANZ sought to strengthen its collaborative activities it became increasingly obvious that a key barrier to more effective collaboration with respect to the development and delivery of academic programmes lay in the differing academic processes, rules and regulations within the member institutions. These differences often forced repetitive activity, and undermined the consistency of practices across the accord.

This project was designed to design a set of academic processes and related rules and regulations that could be adopted by each member in respect of programmes that were either developed collaboratively, or were to be delivered collaboratively.